26

26 years of existence..it's been a big blessing for me..I am blessed in one way or another..


as I woke up this morning I was greeted by my ate Lanie and Nunoy..we're not that extra sweet to one another but still greeting me was sweet..and ate April dropped by with baby Uno Miguel to greet me too..kapatid ko nga sila at kapatid nila ako..they remember! haha..


as I went down the house to take my morning hot coffee,gising na si Tatay..he didn't greet me immediately pero ng magkasalubong na kami..he hugged me and said.."happy birthday!" 
he's the only parent that I got, and to think that he's not a showy father..that was SPECIAL!
uh oh..oo nga this is my first birthday without my Nanay..ouch..I missed her badly..noong buhay pa siya she will always give me a tight hug and kiss and tells me "happy birthday bunso,mahal kita"..<oops,tears coming up..delayed muna..>


first stop..Cemetery..kami ni ate Lanie ang magkasama para dalawin si Nanay..siya talaga ang una kong gustong makita at puntahan..that was my birthday gift for myself..I hope wherever she is right now,she can be proud of me,us..I know she is..I know she's happy to see us..26 na ang bunso nya eh..


second stop..Church..mag-isa lang ako..pero iba talaga ang feeling every time I am inside..peaceful and contented..nagdasal ako para magpasalamat at umabot pa ako sa birthday ko ngayon..hindi naman kasi lahat nabibigyan ng chance..on our way to the cemetery,we saw a tarpaulin of a young man who died..he's only 23 years old..


Life is indeed unpredictable..bakit merong namamatay ng sobrang bata at buhay pa rin kahit medyo matanda na..mysterious isn't it? siguro nga kakambal na ng pagkapanganak natin ang pagtakda kung kailan at paano tayo magpapaalam sa mundo..either way I am so thankful to God for still giving me a chance to wake up every morning..not only to reach this day but to experience life the day before and the day after my birthday..THANK YOU PO LORD..


third and last stop..Internet Shop..one word..WOW! I was so overwhelmed by the birthday greetings from my friends..halo-halo na sila..from High School to College to my former Office mates! same greetings but different effects..I was touched..I can't help to think na siguro kahit paano I did something special to them..to be deserving of their time to greet me through texts, Facebook and Twitter..


this is my simple way to show my appreciation..sa inyo pong lahat,maraming salamat po talaga sa birthday greetings! it made my day even more SPECIAL!


special shout out  to..Rhea,Tina,Ram,Abbie and Des../to Jay-ar, Rory,Emoi,Nikki,Lance,Matet,Connie,Yen../Kaye,Ken,Yman,Rich Ann,Christine,Jeloh, Jayrom../Tal,Mich,Niña../Sir Lito, Jaemee,Shane,Mam Nancy,Mam Michelle..sa lahat ng mga pinsan ko..


if meron man akong nakalimutan rest assured that it is not intentional..hehe,promise! again,thanks a lot and have a nice day..God Bless everyone!☺♥

Smart Gilas Appetizer for the Main Course

    The recently concluded 2011 FIBA-Asia Champions Cup saw our National Team showed one, <if not the best>, of their "Gilas" form in front of our home crowd. Though I wasn't able to watch it live, it still obviously lack of moral support from the fans except for the games against Syria, Jordan and of course Iran but the presence of some personalities in the PBA made me glad nonetheless. Well, I just want to focus on the performance delivered by Smart Gilas.

    The match won by the Nationals versus Saudi Arabia and Malaysia was lopsided simply because they are a lot more skilled and disciplined. Iraq on the other hand, was somewhat formidable, thanks to the presence of CJ Giles, a former import of Smart Gilas; but teamwork and chemistry prevailed over the challenge presented by the Iraqis. The next game, wherein the squad was pitted up against Syria became interesting due to the 2 imports paraded by their National Team. The Philippines won behind the heroics of the team led by JVee Casio and Marcus Douthit. The following game was as exciting and as challenging for they had banged bodies with another powerhouse team in ASU-Jordan. A must win for them to avoid an early collision with Qatar.  As I expected, it was a close match from start to finish. It was the composure and focus that gave them the win, which highlighted by the unmolested, buzzer beating  two-hand slam by Kuya Marcus. 

     Then came the much- anticipated clash with the defending champion, Mahram of Iran. I was so excited and pumped up myself that I turned on the TV at 5:45 pm! Though many predicted that Iran would win that match, a heart of a fan got the better of me by saying "no, they would win this one, if not it would be close..trust me!" As the 1st quarter began, I was so glued on the TV set and waited for the first basket of Smart Gilas. As the game went on, I can't help but smile because of pride to see the the Team Pilipinas equaled the intensity and energy of Iran. They didn't allowed the defending champion to go as far as 5 points! As the time winding down in the final canto, Iran was still up by 7 points and then something happened that almost literally brought the Phil Sports Arena down! team captain Chris Tiu made the last 5 successive points through a lay- up and a big booming three in dying seconds to cut the lead down to 2. I remembered how my older sister, brother and I shouted while watching the game which prompted my mother to ask us: "bakit kayo sumisigaw at tumatalon, kayo ba ang naglalaro?" we just laughed and prayed within myself to please let Gilas win that one. But as we all know in every game, one has to win and in that case it meant for Iran. Our hardworking warriors fell short to pull the rug off the Iranians but at least the team forced them to have a run for their money. I would be hypocrite to say that I didn't got sad, of course there's a bit of panghihinayang because they almost made it. If I felt that way what more are the players and the coaching staffs themselves? still, I'm proud, that was a sorry loss that you and I would be proud as well.

     The battle for 3rd place which eventually won by Al Rayyan of Qatar was still became an acid test as they tried to snatch a Bronze medal for our country against taller Qatari players. Though the heart break induced by that stinging loss in the semis are quite obvious in Gilas' players, I don't doubt their desire to put up a good fight and made it to the top 3. Perhaps, it was still not meant for our National team (for now..).

     The 4th place finish in this annual tourney participated by majority of the tough and powerhouse teams from the Middle East was indeed worthy of the 'overdue' respect and admiration from the fans of our basketball-crazy nation!

     As my title implies..PATIKIM PA LANG ITO NG SMART GILAS!

    WE'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE..

    WATCH AND LEARN..

    WAIT AND BE AMAZED!